Implementation Date: Winter Term 2012
Description: Upgrade and replace our current CDAD and CourseNet systems with the Desire2Learn® software package. The software is a Learning Management System which can be used in several types of departmental network and integrated for specific use per department. The software package offers ease in collaboration, tools for measurements and assessment to make grading easier, and customization choices to fit the needs of TUI.
Completed. Initiation Phase: Research software applications available, compare and choose best application for the needs of TUI. The Initiation phase has been completed. The software package Desire2Learn® has been chosen.
*Implementing: Team Formation Phase. Project Roles, responsibilities and staffing. Choosing team members, coordinating departments and work hours and coordinating resources for the project.
*Implementing: Planning Phase: The Planning Phase will (a) list all adjustments necessary to fit the specific needs of the faculty, students and departments of TUI, (b) is define the objectives which will provide the desired end goal use of the Desire2Learn® software application and (c) establish a written list for the best course of action to be taken considering all the known variables available at this time.
*Implementing - Executing Phase
Personnel
Project Manager - 1 Responsible for keeping the task goals on time and the end goal objective clearly in focused. Responsible for the Project
Summary Report
This is a summary report on the team personnel phase and the planning phase for the Desire2Learn®. The project director has identified and organized the team. Twenty two team members will participate (including the project manager). The team consists of two employees from Desire2Learn®, a TUI President’s representative, a TUI faculty Senate representative, a dedicated employee from the Purchasing Department, six employees from the TUI computer services and ten work-study students from the Computer Science and Engineering department. The breakdown of their responsibilities can be found on the second page of the status report.
The primary objective of the project is to install and integrate the management learning system, Desire2Learn® in a way that will meet the departmental, faculty and student needs of TUI. In order to meet this goal a workshop on the system will be the first step and everyone on the team will take the workshop. The workshop lasts for one week for 5 hours per day. At the end of each workshop session the team will meet for a catered lunch. After one hour for lunch a discussion and collaboration session between the team members will take place. At this time the objective will be the focus and each member will be able to air their thoughts and concerns on meeting the objective based on what they have learned about the Desire2Learn®. On the last day of the work shop one hour will be again taken for lunch. Afterwards the session will last for four hours. The tasks and task deadlines will be charted and everyone will be clear on the objective and how they will help to meet it.
Each Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 1p.m. a sandwich lunch will be attended by each team member. Progress will be reported. Any problems on receiving necessary tools or material will be resolved. Any obstacles or challenges faced by any team member will be discussed. Resolving any problems is the primary objective of the daily meetings.
At the end of each daily meeting the project manager will prepare a list of challenges the team members have mentioned then the project manager will list the proposed course of action. At the next meeting (in 24 hours) the progress or new challenges from the listed problems will be reviewed. This will result in a detailed journal of problems, how they were solved and how long it took to solve the problems. At the end of each week coding written up to that point will be reviewed in pairs to try to identify any bugs or complications that must be resolved. The point of the daily lunch meetings will be to stay focused on the final objective, to encourage collaboration and to resolve any problems as quickly as possible.
Each phase of the plan will be thoroughly reviewed in each of the daily work meetings. The new IT will be integrated including the network for departments, faculty, campus students and long-distance students. Both types of computers on campus (those with the Windows operating system and those with Mac-OS-X) will have the old systems uninstalled. Desire2Learn® will be installed. The necessary viewers and players will be reinstalled, the system will be tested at each step, and the daily team meetings will be support sessions to resolve any glitches.
The implementation of the Core Learning Platform will proceed until all six portions are running as necessary to meet the project objective. The six portions include the Learning Environment and Repository, the ePortfolio, the capture (for video), the mobile application with service (for off campus networking), and the analytics for gauging student learning processes.
The student computer laboratory will serve as the final testing ground for the end users, before the conclusion of the project. The system will be tested in trial runs to make sure the learning system is working as it should. At the time the objective will be declared reached and the final project report will be written and submitted.
(Note: Although the plan will be adhered some flexibility is designed into the plan to allow trying problem solving strategies at each stage of iteration during the process.)
References
Kessels, J.W.M., Smit, C.A., and Keursten, P. (1996 February). The eight fields instrument: Analysis framework for training effects. The Learning Company. pp. 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.design2learn.ch/downloads/the_8_fields_instrument_kessels_smit_and_keursten.pdf
Page, S. B. (2002 August 12). The key to becoming a successful project manager. Tech Republic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-key-to-becoming-a-successful-project-manager/1049968
